Drilling horizontal wells, or wells where the lower part of the well bore parallels the hydrocarbon reservoir, is a complicated and costly endeavor for a variety of reasons. The WOB (weight on bit), torque and drag, directional control, and the like, are a few of the factors that need to be managed when drilling horizontal wells.
The difficulties involved in drilling horizontal wells are compounded when the hydrocarbon reservoir is geologically complex due to strong compressive forces. As an example, such compressive forces may create a very fractured and overlapped formation deposit that, when combined with a strong aquifer, can cause early water breakthroughs, rapid decline of oil production rates, and low drilling performance. As a result, multiple scenarios of well surveys and completions are typically analyzed to maximize the life cycle of the well and the hydrocarbon field.
In light of the difficulties that may be encountered in drilling horizontal wells, especially wells involving the type of geological complexities found in many hydrocarbon reservoirs, a need exists for an improved way to design a horizontal well and particularly a way to design a horizontal well for a hydrocarbon field with a naturally fractured reservoir.